The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-10
REY.J.C.FLETCHER'S LETTER
Some Interesting Personal Recollections
of the Late Mrs. Eliza Blake.
How Nations Are Often Judged by Proverbs
and Folk-Sayings-A lot of Curious Facts
The City Librarian of indianapolis.

Special Correspondsrcc OF the Indianapolis Journal
NAPLES, Italy Junc 2L-Far away upon these
Nespolitan shores there came to me, through
the Indianapolis Journal, tie notice of the death
Of Mrs. Blake. the widow OF the late Col. James
Blake How memory travelled back for more
than ffty-six years, and the scene that was
before was my own fathers house, at the
corner of Ohio and Alabama streets. The two
prominent persons who appeared on that scene
were Col. James Blake and his newly-married
wife, who had just arrived from Baltimore, and
the lstter was certainly the most distinguished
looking lady that had ever visited Indianapolis
ND to that time. In fact. the capital
Of Indiana at that time "one-borse town
of not quite two thousand inhabitants. In
many respects the leading citizen was COL
James Blake, and when it was announced that
he had married Baltimore lady" all Indian
spolis was the qui we to see her and to well
come her. One of their first visits was to my
father and mother. / was boy of eight
years Of age, and I was struck with
awe by the personal beauty of Mrs Blake
and by her rich garments. Gentlemen in Ind-
annapolis, at that time, rarely INDUCED in broad
cloth, and there were few ladies' who could boast
any robe beyond the ordinary calico. print
Therefore, to see lady in silks and with bon
net of the newest fashion, was some
ybing perfectly dazzling. Mrs. Blake was
:hen in the very flower of womanly
beauty, being twenty-five years of age, and her
,harms set off by the freshness and perfect
rood taste Of her wardrobe The things that
impressed themselves upon me were her bonnet
md the immense size Of her sleeves. Indanap-
Diis was then. in regard to fashion, about tie
vears behind the Eastern cities, and, therefore,
the bonnet of size. and the lego
mutton sleeves (which had been introduced
the year before from France into New York
Philadelphia and BaltmoreJ were indeed most
startling novelties. The advent of Mrs. Blake
was with the first barouche seen in the
place. Colonel Blake had brought it ali the
way from Baltimore. With Mrs Blake camethe
yecond or third piano that indianapolis
saw. remember that the first piano-a very
small concern compared with the pianos that
now abound-was the property OF Miss Susan
McDugal, who afterwards became the
first wife of the late VIM. III. Morrison.
second third. I am inclined to think it was
the second and that the third was that of DIR.
Mcclure
The first portion of the old Blake mansion.
where Mrs. Blake lived more than half
fury, and where she died, built in very
early day, for remember boy of five going
belonged to Judge B. F. Morris-the father OF
Sanford and Sam Vance Morris
The most striking characteristics OF Mrs.
Blake were her sweet calm, and her ladylike and
for many were the trials which she underwent
her long life never went back to Indian
.po,s after residing IN Eur1p , or IN = South
permitted % return again. her absence will be
TO painful one. A landmark will have been
.aken away But l should also feel that
heaven will have one inhabitant more / would
not begin this letter without paying m tribute
70 the friend my boyhood and of my maturer
years.
Nations often judge one another by proverbs.
The origin of these proverbs and folk-sayings
20 back into far antiquity, and there is no doubt
that, while many proverbs were the sayings of
founded in truth. No Christian doubts
the character Of the inhabitants OF
Crete tmodern Candal when the Apostle
Paul says Epistle to Titus. j, ~ quoting the
Cretian poet Epimenides. 1.-THE Cretian3
always liars. evil beasts. slow bellies. This wit
ness IEDimendesl is true" The new version
quotation and testimony Of Paul are sufficient
or US, but there other witnesses to back
him up2 Yes Livy stigmatizes the avarice OF
Cretans and Polybius. the Greek writer and
philosopher. who wrote more than two
hundred years before Paul sent his
,pistle to Titus, says that the Cresans were
frauds" and given to 'frivo1ity." Again, this
Polybius says that they were "nenda-
sious" to such an extent that the term to ''cre-
tanize" is only another word for ito lie,"
quote this instance to show than when Paul
quoted this proverb, in warning Titus
how to deal with people of such
character. he told the truth. though the
"tsIOoo
''one of themselves" But there other
proverbs and quaint sayings that are not
grave in their character and yet full of singing
wit, which, hit off, under the euise of witticsm,
the characteristics of people, Take, for
instance. the following: According to
legend w fs With the .n,h devil evil
fence upon the earth that the various members
Of his body were widely scattered. The head
fell in Spain. the heart in Italy. the belly in
Germany, the hands in Turkey and the feet in
france" Now these Bohemians mako this APP.
plication: Therefore. this account the
French are mad after women and are always
Rroveling at their feet, the Turks are given
TO robbery. the Germans TO the pleasures
Of the table. the Italians to love and the Span
iards to pride"
The Germans give to the Bohemians the cpl
thet of 'Hard-heads." unto which the Bohemi-
ans reply: 1.-The Bohemian has heart of finder
and flint in the head. Strike one over the 9TH
er and you will soon have fire. The Bohemians
also, are rather hard upon the German for they
call him "Wooden-head.r
The Germans say of the Russian. she
will do nothing good without the knout
Scratch Russian and the bear will soon
begin to growl-" 1 wonder if this saying
did not give TO Napoleon his famous .'bon
mot" CRATE a Russian and you soon come to the
Cossacki In this line OF the Russians is the En-
Rlish saying concerning them, The Russians
arc only bearded children"
The inhabitants of Bohemia, Galicia and Fin
and seem TO have hard savings against the Ger
mans which reveal that they have either been
overreached or conquered by the Germans. The
tractive animals by the name of German. For
instance the rat Is called "a German" aud the
Slavacchi always call the toad "a German crab"
The Finlanders pretend that the oath of u Ger
man is worth nothing and his word is lie. The
French, who call all goods German" which do
not at clearly show their quality, sus-
tain that the German is violent
and unjust and that he sees in
every question where the m olive is not apparent
a motive for fight a quarrel for his beloved
Germany. In all of this the Frenchman's mo-
ia var Rut
rs Herman Lsber, Albert Gall and other Ger
mans in Indianapolis well know
When my brother. Calvin Fletcher, of Spencer,
was in Naples and vicinity for four or Ave
months in 1915. he spoke to me OF the industry
Of the laboring people, and observed, 1.-THE Ital-
ians are the only people that have ever seen
who get up in the morning before l do" This
remark makes recall proverb that is
very common amnnosf ha natixsa of Enrona.